Black bear breaks into woman’s vehicle, drinks 69 cans of soda

This bear had a thirst for Orange Crush. And other brands of soda, too.

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A woman from Canada woke to the sounds of a black bear crushing and drinking dozens of cans of soda she had left in her car overnight.

Sharon Rosel, of Earls Cove, British Columbia, said her dog woke her at about 3 p.m. PDT on April 13, CBC reported. Rosel said she looked from the balcony of her home to see a black bear surrounded by the shattered glass from her car window.

“He was drinking massive amounts of soda,” Rosel told the news outlet.

There were barely any cans left.

Rosel had bought six cases of soda for her food truck, Sharon’s Grill-It, according to the Coast Reporter. When the bear broke through one of the windows of Rosel’s Suzuki, the noise sounded “like a gunshot,” she told the newspaper.

“He was in pretty good shape, but he was hungry and that was my mistake,” Rosel told the Coast Reporter. “I never thought it could smell pop through a can.”

It did.

The bear drank 69 of the 72 cans that Rosel bought, CBC reported.

“You could hear him slurping it the whole time,” Rosel told the news outlet. “And he didn’t break them open with his claws as you would think he would. He used his teeth every time, and they were like, snapped in half.

“And I could hear him drinking away. I hope he didn’t cut his tongue on some of that metal.”

Rosel said the bear started with Orange Crush, and then chugged some colas and root beers before stopping at the diet sodas.

Rosel said she tried throwing cold water on the animal from her balcony, but it was smarter than the average bear.

“Then I tried psyching him out by telling him I was a bear hunter,” Rosel told CBC. “That didn’t do anything either, so I had to stand by and just watch him devour my car.”

The bear damaged the vehicle’s soft top and pulled off the window cranks, according to the Coast Reporter.

“Of course, white leather interior goes really good with Orange Crush,” Rosel joked to the CBC. She noted that the bear also knocked over a pack of paper towels, but did not think to use them to clean up the mess it made.

Rosel’s husband had the car fixed, but the bear returned the following night.

“I don’t want to do anything that compromises the bears,” Rosel told the Coast Reporter. “I know they’ll move on if they don’t find a food source.”

This time, Rosel’s dog scared the bear away.

According to its website, the Sunshine Coast Bear Alliance notes bears are adept at breaking into vehicles and can cause major damage.

“(Bears) can be attracted to the slightest aroma in your car, such as a candy wrapper or scented air freshener. Please keep your vehicle windows closed and locked and doors locked to avoid damage and a surprise encounter,” the website notes.

“Do not underestimate their sense of smell,” Rosel told CBC. “We have to be bear aware. We have to live with them, and bears have memories.

“I’ve been around bears since I was knee-high to a grasshopper, and I have never seen them go after pop.”